I would like to
start by saying thank you for giving me this scholarship. I am honored to receive it, my family and I
could not have been more proud and joyous.
It was a pleasure meeting Riley, the gentleman whom presented the
scholarship. The ceremony was also one I
will never forget.

When I heard of
the Cpl Joe Welke Scholarship of Honor, I was very curious to see what it was
about.I did quite a bit of research and
found out that it was not just a scholarship, but also an honor.I told my friends about it and they had never
heard of one with such an impressive back story.

It was 6:30 pm
inRapid City Stevens Theater and the ceremony
was about to start.The assistant principals
were announcing the students and what they were receiving for scholarships.Some had full rides to Yale, Harvard, South
Dakota State University and so forth.Most students were members of the National Honor Society.

I was near the
end when the principal said, “I would like to introduce Riley McManigal”.Riley stood up from his seat and gave his
speech about who he was and what the scholarship meant.The audience was in awe of the history of the
Joe Welke Scholarship of Honor.

What does the
Joe Welke Scholarship mean to me?It
means an honor has been bestowed upon an individual, not just a
scholarship.My name is now associated
with his and that means more than words can describe.I feel blessed that it came with a $500.00
check.I cannot thank you enouch for the
money, it will really help towards getting my degree in Civil Enginnering. I
also plan on participating in the ROTC and join the US Army as an Officer.